Home staging can make or break a sale—especially if it’s really, really good home staging.
But what happens when a home is staged simply to hide what’s really wrong with it?
Staging vs. Hiding Flaws: What to Watch For
Whether or not a seller hires a professional home stager to help sell a house, it’s important that you’re on your toes when you start thinking about buying. You’ll have to watch for red flags—but that can be tough when you’ve already started to fall in love with a home.
Staging is supposed to bring out a home’s best features and help you envision your belongings in someone else’s space… it’s not supposed to hide its flaws, but too often, excited buyers overlook what’s wrong when they’re dazzled by a perfectly styled staging job.
So what can you do?
First things first: If you’re going to make an offer on a home, hire a home inspector and accompany him or her during the inspection. Your home inspector knows what to look for, but you can stroll through the home together and ask all the questions you need to. If something’s suspicious or doesn’t seem right, speak up; the inspector will be happy to figure out what you’re looking at.
What to Look For On Your First Visit to a House
As you tour homes with your Charlotte Realtor®, here’s what you need to look for:
- Uneven paint jobs that could be hiding zigzag cracks in the wall, which can signify a problem with the home’s foundation (also look for doors and cupboards that don’t close properly)
- An oil pipe sticking out of the ground in the backyard, which means there’s likely an old oil tank buried there (most homes built before 1975 were heated on oil, but it can contaminate the soil and be very costly to remove)
- Signs of water damage tucked behind boxes or furniture, or hidden beneath fresh paint
- Temperature imbalances between rooms, which can give you a clue about whether an addition was put on the home (and sometimes, those additions are done without permits, which can cause you problems down the road)
When (if) you go back through the home a second time, you’ll be ready with questions to ask the seller about anything else you may have noticed, too.
Are You Looking for a Home for Sale in Charlotte or the Surrounding Communities?
Whether you’re searching for a USDA home for sale in Charlotte or you’d like to find the perfect place to live in Weddington, we can help.
Call us at 704-608-2794 to talk to a knowledgeable Charlotte Realtor® who can help you find the perfect place to live today.
You can also explore:
- All Charlotte, NC real estate listings
- Luxury homes for sale in Charlotte
- New construction for sale in Charlotte
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